Monday, March 26, 2012

Tortellini Soup!

If you go to Costco you should get this chicken stock and make this!!!! its one our staples now!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have had a cookie obsession lately, and I was getting tired of the same ol' chocolate chip cookies (even though I really love them).  Honestly, I am not a huge chocolate cookie fan (I'd rather have a brownie), but I just thought I would try something different.  I finally found the PERFECT recipe and I make a huge batch each week, freeze little balls of dough, and cook up a few fresh cookies every night for Adam and me.  I even choose this over my regular blonde chocolate chip cookies. Yum! Here goes:

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto Silpat or silicon baking sheet covered cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes for frozen balls, 9 minutes for fresh dough (they won't look done, but they are). Cool on a baking rack for at least 5 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Lemon Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes

This was reaaaaaally delicious and unbelievably easy.  It is a Kelsey Nixon meal and she's a friend of a friend so I figured I'd find out if she was really as good as they say.  She totally is. I'll be doing this a lot from here on out...
  • 1/2 baguette (4 cups), cubed
  • 3/4 pound small red new potatoes, halved
  • Canola oil
  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 3/4 pound baby carrots
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • Small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place cubed baguette on a sheet tray and bake for 10 minutes to dry out. Reserve.
In a pot of simmering water, add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until you just take the bite off (and if your carrots are bigger I'd add them to it for a few minutes also), we will cook these again in the skillet. Remove and reserve.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat a 14-inch heavy bottomed skillet on high and coat with canola oil. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, if needed, sear chicken skin side down for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving all of the fat in the pan.
Add onion, season with salt and sweat until translucent and softened, a minute or two. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add baguette cubes, reserved potatoes, and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon wedges, and thyme. Toss all in the fat and an additional glug of oil if needed. Arrange thighs on top and place in oven for 15-20 minutes or thighs reach 160 degrees F.